The Tale of Solomon Owl eBook

“Look here!” he said. “Since
we are hunting together it’s only fair to divide
what we catch, half and half.”

Simon Screecher hesitated. But after reflecting
that his cousin was very big and very strong, he agreed
to Solomon’s suggestion.

So they resumed their hunting. And every time
one of them caught two mice, he gave one mouse to
his cousin.

Still Solomon Owl was not satisfied.

“Wait a moment!” Solomon called to Simon
Screecher. “It has just occurred to me
that I am more than twice as big as you are; so I ought
to have twice as many mice as you.”

This time Simon Screecher hesitated longer. He
did not like the second suggestion even as well as
the first. And in the end he said as much, too.

But Solomon Owl insisted that it was only fair.

“You surely ought to be glad to please your
own cousin,” he told Simon.

“It’s not that,” said Simon Screecher.
“It seems to me that since I’m not half
your size, I ought to have twice as many mice to eat,
so I’ll grow bigger.”

Well, Solomon Owl hadn’t thought of that.
He was puzzled to know what to say. And he wanted
time in which to ponder.

“I’ll think over what you say,”
he told Simon Screecher. “And now, since
it’s almost dawn, we’d better not hunt
any longer to-night. But I’ll meet you
again at dusk if you’ll come to my house.”

“Very well, Cousin Solomon!” Simon answered.
“I’m sure that after you’ve had
a good sleep you’ll be ready to agree with me.”

“If that’s the case, I may not take any
nap at all,” Solomon replied.

“Oh! You ought to have your rest!”
his cousin exclaimed. Simon knew that if Solomon
went all day without sleep he would be frightfully
peevish by nightfall.

“Well—­I’ll try to get forty
winks,” Solomon promised. “But I don’t
believe I can get more than that, because I have so
much on my mind that I’m sure to be wakeful.”

Simon Screecher was somewhat worried as they parted.
His wailing, tremulous whistle, which floated through
the shadowy woods, showed that he was far from happy.

XVIII
XVIII — A Cousinly Quarrel

It proved to be just as Solomon Owl had told his cousin,
Simon Screecher. Solomon had so much on his mind
that he had no sooner fallen asleep than he awoke
again, to study over the question that perplexed him.
He certainly did not want Simon to have twice as many
mice as he. But Simon’s argument was a
good one. He had said that since Solomon was more
than twice his size, it was proper that he should
have a chance to grow. And everybody knew—­Solomon
reflected—­everybody knew that eating
made one larger.

The longer Solomon pondered, the farther he seemed
from any answer that he liked. And he had begun
to fear that he would not succeed in getting more
than thirty-nine winks all day—­instead of
forty—­when all at once an idea came into
his mind.